


Summit

by jturner36



Series: Doug & Carol - by Jordan Turner [20]
Category: E.R.
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:33:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14456244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jturner36/pseuds/jturner36
Summary: This occurs after "A Hole in the Heart," and the fallout from the detox of baby Josh.To my love, who is indeed my "Doug"





	Summit

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
One more moondance with you  
In the moonlight  
On a magic night  
\-- Van Morrison  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\- May 15, 1998 -

Carol heard him in the kitchen and looked at the clock. Five forty-five. Rolling over, she groaned. She was on at seven a.m. and she needed to get moving. He'd been up for hours, she knew, because she heard him get out of bed and turn the television on in the living room. He was preoccupied with the events of the last two days. While he'd been at the hospital over 24 hours with Josh McNeil in PICU, he sent her home to sleep. But he'd had very little sleep. Driving home last night, he was quiet.

Breaking the silence, she offered, "Doug, I talked to Mark today."

"What'd he have to say?"

"Well, basically he was giving me a way out. He said that everyone would understand that it's a nurse's job to follow doctor's orders."

He looked over at her and grinned. "I'll remember that for later on."

Carol smiled back and continued. "He said I would just have to say that I was doing what you asked me to do."

"Well, it's true. I take full responsibility for what we did."

"I won't hide behind that."

He glanced at her.

"Doug, I did what I did because I believed in you. In your ability and in your willingness to do what you had to for that baby. I would do it all over again. Screw Mark, screw Weaver, screw County."

Doug smiled to himself, pleased to have her support.

When they got home, he said he was too tired to eat. She was concerned about him, about the way he'd pushed himself the last few days. Not quite sure how he would react to the pressure and the tension, for a moment she was afraid he would close himself off to her; but he didn't, he joked and talked about the weekend, about the playoff game he wanted to watch. Soon enough, they were both tired and decided to go to bed.

She opened the bedroom window wide and took a deep breath. The air always smelled so good after the rain. Climbing into bed, she nestled into the covers, laying on her side. He walked in and laid down beside her. "C'mere." He pulled her close, put his left arm around her, and kissed her back. "Thanks, Carol," he whispered. "Helping me the way you did...with Josh...thanks."

"You're welcome. You did the right thing, Doug. Good night." Carol snuggled into his arms, enjoying the warmth.

*****

The next day the atmosphere at work was anything but warm. Carol felt like she was in the middle of a war zone, treading carefully to avoid land mines. Doug sensed it, too, and in the middle of a trauma procedure their eyes had met and they acknowledged the tension silently.

Mark avoided both of them and was curt to the other nurses on shift. Kerry barked orders here and there; although she was civil to Carol, she didn't even look at Doug. Carol sighed, thinking this day could not end quickly enough. Whatever came down from administration could not be worse than working under these conditions.

"Carol?" called Malik.

"What?"

"Conni on line two."

"Thanks."

Carol picked up the phone and took the call. As soon as she hung up, Doug came walking past.

"Ahh," Doug said, "two more hours and we're outta here."

"Not me," she said, shaking her head. "I'm staying."

Head tilting, a questioning look on his face, he asked, "What...what, you're working tonight? Since when?"

"Doug, I have no choice. Conni just called, her kids came down with chicken pox and we're short-handed anyway."

"Can't you get somebody else to cover for her?"

"I wish. There IS nobody else. Why?"

"No, it's...I just thought, you know, the last couple of days you've worked a lot and...."

"Well, I'm tired, but what can I do?"

"Okay." Doug walked away, dejected.

*****

The house was always empty when she wasn't there. He'd look around at her things and think about her, mentally counting the hours, how long it would be until she came home. Things between them had changed drastically in the last month or so. It's as if she shed the insecurities and the doubts that had held her back for so long, just as he had done previously, and cleaved to him as he had her. Her sweetness, her good humor, her confidence blossomed, and all this made him love her that much more. He knew that this time with Carol had been the best time of his whole life. Thinking a minute, he picked up the phone and dialed.

*****

Carol was tired and in a sour mood. She was hungry and tried several times to find five or ten minutes to grab dinner. Just as she was walking out, she was beckoned again.

"Carol?" Carter came running in out of breath.

"Sorry, Carter, I'm going to eat!"

"Carol, quick, I need you." He started running towards the stairway.

"What's going on?"

"Chuni and Lydia were up on the roof and Chuni tripped and cut her head."

"On the roof? Why were they up there?"

"I have no idea."

"How bad is it?"

"I don't know."

Carol grabbed gloves and ran past Carter up the stairs to the roof.

"Carter, c'mon."

He stopped and said, "Carol, wait, I'll be right there. I forgot gloves."

"Here, use some of mine."

"No, I...I want powder-free. I'll be right there." Carter yelled, running back.

Oh brother, Carol thought, how picky can you get? She opened the door and looked around. "Chuni? Lydia? Where are you?" she yelled. "Chuni?"

And there he was. In a dark blue suit, a white shirt, her favorite tie. He was standing beside two chairs. There was a tall cardboard box covered with a lab coat, adorned with a single flickering taper, a hospital water pitcher filled with lilacs, a bottle of wine and two glasses. The skyline and the lights of Chicago shone behind him. Everything looked beautiful.

"Good evening," he said in a low, quiet voice. His eyes had never been warmer.

Incredulous, her eyes took everything in. "Doug. What are you doing here? What is all this?"

"Happy Anniversary."

"What?" she asked, her face brightening.

"It's the first anniversary of your last date with Toby Mintz." Carol looked at him, confused. Doug smiled. "It's the first anniversary...well, of us. I thought we'd better celebrate tonight. After the executive board hears my case, my access to this roof may be denied forever. So I figured, if it's my last night on the roof, I want to spend it with you."

She melted. "Oh, Doug...this is so nice."

"Well, come, sit down, I have a table for two." He helped her into her chair and sat across from her. "House wine okay?" he asked.

"You know, I shouldn't -- I'm on duty now."

Doug cocked his head slightly and smiled. "What are they going to do? Fire you?"

Carol laughed and held out her glass. "Half a glass, please." Doug complied. "Perfect. Wow." Sitting at their makeshift table, she could smell the lilacs. "Mmm, my favorite. Where'd you get them?"

"Uh, they were in somebody's yard, you know, kinda...overhanging the street...." he grinned.

Grinning back, she laughed. "You are terrible, you know that?"

"Yes, I know." He paused, looking down for a moment. "I had planned a romantic dinner at Everest Restaurant on LaSalle, but when you told me you had to work tonight, well, I had to improvise."

"Well, Doug, this is even better, and there's a beautiful view here, too. Oh, and here you are looking wonderful and I'm in scrubs."

"That's okay," he said softly. "You were in scrubs the first time I saw you. I remember. You walked into Trauma Two and, when I...when I saw you that first time, I almost intubated someone through the nose." Doug took hold of her hand and brushed it with his lips, softly kissing it. Not letting go.

She looked at him lovingly. "Doug, this is so sweet."

"Well, I'm glad you're happy. Dinner?" He bent down and brought out two styrofoam containers.

She laughed when she saw it. "How romantic -- ribs!"

"Well..." he said, looking down.

"And not just any ribs, Carson's Ribs!"

"It was the only toll-free number I could remember, you know, from those radio commercials?"

"Oh, right, 888...."

"999-RIBS," he nodded and they laughed.

"You are incredible." Hungry, she tore into her meal.

Looking up at her, he thought she was beautiful. That he was the luckiest man alive. "Carol, you look sexy with barbecue sauce on your chin." He leaned over and wiped it off with his napkin. "When you're finished, you could just toss the bones over the side of the building, let them fall to the street. It'd make for an interesting lawsuit."

"Malpractice." Carol looked at him seriously. "What do you think's gonna happen?"

Doug stared out at the vastness of the city. "I don't know. There are lots of possibilities. They could fire me outright, suspend me. I could lose my license. I don't know." He looked back at her. "One way or the other, Carol, I have the feeling that I'm approaching the end of my time here."

Carol looked away, not wanting to face the possibility of his departure. "What do you think Anspaugh's reaction will be?"

"Anspaugh was pretty calm yesterday, considering. Actually, Keinholz was, too."

"What about that guy from CHOP?"

Doug sighed. "He's hard to read. Talks out of both sides of his mouth."

"What are you going to do if they fire you?"

He laughed quietly and looked at her through heavy-lidded eyes. "Stay at home and be your love slave."

Carol laughed at him. "I'll keep you busy."

"You already do." They ate quietly then, soaking in the beauty of the night.

Doug was finished first and waited for her. Everything had worked out perfectly, if not the way he'd originally planned it.

"Ugh, I give up, I'm done!" Carol groaned. She wiped her hands and took her last sip of wine.

"Well, okay, now that we're done, may I have this dance?" Doug asked.

"But there's no music."

"Oh, ye of little faith." He leaned down beside the box and then she heard it. And then her heart soared.

"Ah, Doug...."

He stood up, smiling, and bending down, he paused a moment and then his lips brushed hers. Pulling her to his chest, enfolding her gently in his arms, he danced and she danced with him, lost in his eyes in the warm spring air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Well it's a marvelous night for a moondance  
With the stars up above in your eyes  
A fantabulous night to make romance  
'Neath the cover of October skies

And all the leaves on the trees are falling  
To the sound of the breezes that blow  
And I'm trying to please to the calling  
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low

You know the night's magic  
Seems to whisper and hush  
And all the soft moonlight  
Seems to shine in your blush

Can I just have one more moondance  
With you, my love  
Can I just make some more romance  
With you, my love  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Enjoying every bit of this, the scent of him, the feeling of being in his arms, her hand in his, she laid her head on his chest and looked out at the city, inhaling the soft night air. Inhaling him. "I love it up here, Doug. You can see for miles. I love this roof. I have lots of memories here."

"Me too." His arm held her closely to him and he could feel her feminine curves beneath her scrubs. He thought for a minute and then he lifted her head up, his hand on her chin. "So, Carol, have you ever actually *done it* up here on the roof?"

"Doug!" She smiled at him, shaking her head.

"You and...what's-his-name, you ever...you know, up here?"

"You mean Tag?" she giggled.

"Yeah, Tag." He smiled back playfully.

"No, we never did. Did you?"

"Me and Tag?"

"No," she laughed. "Did you ever do it up here on the roof with anyone?"

His eyes gleamed. "Not yet."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Well I wanna make love to you tonight  
I can't wait 'til the morning has come  
And I know now the time is just right  
And straight into my arms you will run

And when you come my heart will be waiting  
To make sure that you're never alone  
There and then all my dreams will come true dear  
There and then I will make you my own  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well after the song ended, when they could have stopped, when they should have stayed still, they danced, slower and slower. Closer and closer. She could feel his heart through his jacket, through his shirt. He could feel her body changing, warming. Wanting. She looked into his eyes and he into hers.

How they got there so quickly...how his clothes came off...how he put them and the lab coat underneath to protect her -- was all a blur to her. He murmured something into the hollow of her neck about taking her scrubs off, how that brought back memories of long ago. Stolen moments with her in the basement, satisfying her and himself. How fascinating, she thought, that they'd started out in the basement so long ago, and now they ended up here, on the roof.

"Carol, are you comfortable?"

"C'mere, Doug." Her hair was splayed out around her like a halo, and she lifted up her shirt and unhooked her bra and he could see her nipples, soft and smooth in the moonlight.

"You look beautiful like this."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
And every time I touch you  
You just tremble inside  
And I know how much you want me  
That you can't hide

Can I just have one more moondance  
With you, my love  
Can I just make some more romance  
With you, my love  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kissing the satin skin of her breasts, feeling their warmth, watching her nipples get hard as the breeze passed over them. Taking one into his mouth, then the other, stretching them to their limit, making her moan. Fingers seeking out her warmth, her wetness, finding it, immersed in her. Hands pulling him closer, stroking his face, bringing it back up to hers. Reaching below, grasping. Voices praising, exalting, then frantically begging. Lips warm, meeting, meshing. Parting her, guiding himself into her, slowly, gently. Welcoming, gasping, surrounding him. Holding back, wanting to sink in, venturing forth, losing himself. Pulling him deeper. Hearing her below him, oh, so hard! Imploring, asking him not to leave her, ever. Not to stop, ever. Listening to him above her, she was made for him, he would never leave, he wanted her always. How she was coming...oh, Doug, I'm coming, don't stop, I love it, Doug, god, I love you...I love you. Answering, you feel so good to me, so wet, I love you too, I can feel you coming, I can feel it, take me, Carol, take all of me. Carol...oh.

Oh.

And how it ended...how he pressed his lips to her shoulder...how she clung to him...how they got dressed again...smoothed her hair...straightened his tie -- was beyond him. But there they were, on the roof, looking at each other with knowing smiles in their eyes. One final kiss, then she peeled herself away from him and she descended the steps, heading back to work, feeling as though she were leaving heaven behind, returning to earth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
One more moondance with you  
In the moonlight  
On a magic night...  
...there's a moonlight  
On a magic night  
Can't I just have one more dance  
With you my love  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


End file.
